Want to buy a family tent that is quick to put up - help!

[snowflake99]

We are seasoned campers, both before kids and with kids. We bought an Outwell Montana 6 four years ago when we had our second child. It is great when you have rainy days as it has a massive living space and so lots of room to play and cook dinner without sitting on top of each other.

However ....

it just takes too long to put up and take down, the poles are incredibly heavy, and there is no way I could put it up myself. Over the last couple of years I have kind of fallen out of love with camping because of the tent, and as someone who loves the whole experience of being outdoors and being at one with nature it is quite sad.

So ...

can anyone recommend a tent that is big enough so we can cook and move around inside on those rainy days, but is quick to put up and take down?

Please assure me I am not searching for the Holy Grail?

What's your budget?

We have the Monty and I'm very happy with it, but I know what you mean and I certainly wouldn't be able to put it up myself.

DH lusts after the Laser Space 5, which might meet your requirements, but it's not cheap (which is why he won't be getting one ).

It would probably be too small for you, thinking about it. And I don't think they go bigger than the 5.

Look at airbeam type inflatable or quick put up Khyam?

Outwell have got some great inflatable tents that might be quicker.

We saw some up last week, they're really sturdy. I imagine you just unroll it and connect the pump. No waving awkward poles around trying not to catch your fingers in the clips!

Second khyam! But they are like kites so you may need an extra pair of hands if trying to put up alone in wind! Basically all the poles stay in the tent and you just open out the hinges. Peg down some of the ropes first and then tighten them once it's up. You've still got all the pegging out of course. They're top quality too.

On the plus side, I think I am now in love with the Outwell Harrier.

But I no longer regard the Laser Space 5 as expensive...

Have a look at the Quechua pop-up tents at Decathlon. There are also several really good ones such as Base Seconds 4 by 2 that are now discontinued but available secondhand. You can see them being erected on You Tube.

We have an Outwell Oakland XL and can pitch it in half an hour with 2 of us. Can do it single handed but takes longer obviously,

Vango Icarus. great bundle price here if you scroll down, with massive awning etc. easy to put up because they have light fibre poles and easy loops to thread them through. You can pitch as one, too.

Vango tents have the tension band system that makes them strong and stable in place of heavy poles, I think. In any case our Vango tent has been OK in some right old storms.

Another vote for the vango. I am a bell tent addict now (one pole, 10 mins to set up), but I appreciate it's not for everyone.

I have a 5m bell tent. I can pitch it alone (20mins) with children's help (25mins)

Love it.

We've just gone for a Vango Kalu WITH the awning to give us that extra living space - it's a while since we've been camping so I'm really excited to own a tent with windows, so that on rainy/midgey days we can be 'indoors' but still be able to see outside . It's so recently bought, we've not put it up yet, but I've seen someone else recommending it as quick to put up. Cheapest price (where we got it from) was here:
campingandleisure.co.uk/acatalog/vango-kula-v-400-2014.html with free delivery because it was over £100.
and here's a demo of what it's like to put up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvKNOc3lQcw

I'm just getting a list of what else we need (last time we camped was pre-children!); am both excited and terrified it will pour/will be freezing...

Oh, and reason for the smaller Kalu is because we might go cycle camping, if DH has his way, so need a tent that can be lugged around on a bike trailer... next year, perhaps!

I love kyham's but they are expensive. We have borrowed one in the past that was up in 10 minutes. We inherited a khyam xxl but it is just too big and had two trekking tents which were fab as the kids could help putting them up and we were all done in 10 minutes but we wanted something we could all sleep in and have a little indoor space. We went for the kanaka 6 from go outdoors for £150 and I am thrilled with it!! Up in 15 mins max and weighs less than 15kg. Now I just need to find someone crazy enough to want to buy the 25kg khyam xxl!!!

Mine's up in 4 mins!

We have one of these for the front:

This one is bigger and better (up in 2 mins):

Thanks ladies. There are some suggestions there I hadn't thought of, so am off to do some more reading.

I can't yet decide if I trust the whole inflatable tent thing for a 2-week family break.

anotherdayanothersquabble - how old is your XXL and how well used? We have a 9 year old one (the maroon one) that we are either looking to replace or to find a replacement flysheet for as ours is getting rather 'crunchy'.
Khyam don't have any of our old-style flysheets left now so we are looking for a tent to cannibalise :)

We have a Wild Country/Terra Nova family tent similar to this, ours is 10 years old so probably the previous model and slightly smaller. It takes one person 10 minutes to put up and two people can put it up in 5 minutes during a thunderstorm , we have used it for a few 6-week tours around Europe and it has remained impervious to some really hair-raising storms in the Alps. However, you might find the central living area of 1.4m a bit snug and there is no option to add a porch (we usually put up a tarp, but they can be tricky to get right).

Another vote for bell tent. Stupidly easy to put up, though it is heavy and bulky

We have a vango icarus 600 and it is a great tent. Easy to put up - 3 poles then peg down the guy ropes and it has plenty of living space for 4 of us.

We have a Vango inflatable and camped round Europe with it for 3 weeks last year (so up/down/up/down a number of times). No problems at all.

We used to have a Quechua XXL which slept 4 and was instantaneous to put up, but probably a bit small.

We have the vango Icarus 600 and I love it it's got loads of room and it's pretty quick to put up even while I chase dd around
Although I think they have discontinued the blue awning which can add loads of extra space...

I'm trying to erect a kampa Filey 6 air this weekend, will let you know how it goes. It weights about 36kg though, should be fun getting out of car lol x

another happy bell tent owner.

It takes me about 10 minutes to put up nowadays, I can do it alone, and then maybe 10 more to peg it out. Its idiot proof.

Now the kids are older we also take a couple of pup tents to give everyone some space if they want it (the kids put these up and down themselves.)

Decathlon tents are great! 2 mins to put up and not muh longer to deconstruct...once you have practised!